Emma Stone has been one of the biggest winners throughout awards season thanks to her performance alongside Ryan Gosling in La La Land. And it appears she put in a lot of hard work to prepare for the role beyond taking regular dance lessons, according to her personal trainer Jason Walsh.
The 28-year-old trained with Jason at his Rise Nation fitness studio, utilising weights and cardio along with a healthy diet to ensure she was ready to play budding Hollywood star Mia. Speaking to Healthista, Jason opened up about his fitness philosophy, including revealing his go-to exercise move.
Jason Walsh trained Emma Stone at his Rise Nation fitness studio
"It is, and always will be, the deadlift and variations of the deadlift," Jason said. "It's a complex movement that incorporates every major muscle group working together. It's very important." The trainer is a big advocate for weight training, and also explained that cardio won't be beneficial on its own.
STORY: Los Angeles locations every La La Land fan needs to visit
"Cardio is nothing if you don't move well. Staying strong supports the skeletal system, stabilises joints, makes your cardio safer and more effective," he said. "If strength training is done right, you get plenty of cardio from lifting as well. Cardio comes secondary."
Jason, who has also trained stars including Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon, and ex-girlfriend Hilary Duff, said diet is also crucial to support a fitness routine. "I eat sensibly. I do think sugar and the abundance of carbohydrates is the root to most obesity in the US. You've never heard of essential sugars and/or carbohydrates, right?!" Jason said.
The personal trainer shared his top fitness moves and diet recommendations
As for what he does – and doesn't – eat? "I limit all sugars, and I add UDO's Choice Oil to food daily for essential fats. That's where I get my energy from, not sugar. You could lose 10lbs immediately just from cutting out sugar."
GALLERY: Stars who surprised us with their great singing voices
Emma has previously opened up about the dance rehearsals she underwent in the lead up to filming, saying she and Ryan were taught separately as a "little bit of a mind game". During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Emma explained: "I would go to my tap dancing lessons every day and I was learning these primitive moves and every day I would ask how Ryan was doing, and they would say, 'He is really good, he is amazing, he's exceeding our expectations.' So for two months I thought he was the best dancer of all time and I was failing miserably. Then they put us together and I was like, 'I've got this!'"
